4x DVD+RW Roundup (Plextor PX-504A, Mitsumi DW-7801TE)

Review Pages

1. Introduction - Mitsumi DW-7801TE
2. Introduction - Plextor PX-504A
3. Data CD Reading Tests
4. CD Error Correction Tests - Mitsumi DW-7801TE
5. CD Error Correction Tests - Plextor PX-504A
6. DVD reading tests
7. DVD Error Correction Tests - Mitsumi DW-7801TE
8. DVD Error Correction Tests - Plextor PX-504A
9. CloneCD Reading Tests
10. DAE Tests
11. CD Recording Tests
12. Writing Quality Tests - Mitsumi DW-7801TE
13. Writing Quality Tests - Plextor PX-504A
14. HS-RW Writing Tests
15. DVD Recording Tests
16. Conclusion

4x DVD+R/RW Roundup - Page 4

CD Error Correction Tests

Mitsumi DW-7801

In the following tests we examined the error correction capabilities of the Mitsumi DW-7801TE, when reading an artificially damaged CD-R. For the test we used the Almedio ABEX pressed discs, and the EAC test disc.

- EAC CD-R Test Disc

The EAC test disc is always hard to read for all the drives we have tested. The Mitsumi drive reported many errors and some of them were muted. The number of skipped samples was also high resulting to an overall score of 52.3 points out of 100.

Errors total	Num: 116273155
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 608319	Avg: -30.6 dB(A)	Max: -7.2 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 84361	Avg: 1.2 Samples	Max: 622
Skips Samples	Num: 433	Avg: 37.9 Samples	Max: 2934 Samples
C2 accuracy	50.5%
Total Test Result	52.3 points (of 100.0 maximum)

The C2 accuracy reported is only 50.5%. We cannot come up with safe conclusions by this test only, but the first impression is that the Mitsumi DW-7801TE cannot retrieve C2 error information accurately.

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total	Num: 916017
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 48471	Avg: -73.1 dB(A)	Max: -6.7 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 3061	Avg: 1.1 Samples	Max: 40 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 16	Avg: 6.0 Samples	Max: 6 Samples
C2 accuracy	99.1 %
Total Test Result	67.7 points (of 100.0 maximum)

The score for the Mitsumi drive is 67.7, still an average performance. The total errors were less than in the previous test, as it was expected. The average level of the Loudness errors is -73.1dB(A).

This time the C2 accuracy reported is higher than in the previous test, but it is away from 100%. The ABEX 721R is a pressed test disc and easy to read, compared to the EAC disc in the previous test.

- ABEX TCD-726

The total amount of errors is smaller in the case of the TCD-726 disc. The scratches on the disc is not as heavy as in the TCD-721, and the rest defects and fingerprints seem not to produce many errors while reading. The Loudness errors were only 20 and the average level was -48.4dB(A), which is an acceptable level. Only 2 samples were muted, and their average length was low. The score for this test is the best we had for the Mitsumi drive. (88.2 points).

Errors total	Num: 6
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 20	Avg: -48.4 dB(A)	Max: -31.1 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 2	Avg: 6.0 Samples	Max: 6 Samples
C2 accuracy	100.0 %
Total Test Result	88.2 points (of 100.0 maximum)

- Conclusion

Test Disc	Reading Speed	Score
EAC CD-R	Max	52.3
ABEX TCD-721R		67.7
ABEX TCD-726		88.2
Average Score		69.4

Test Disc	C2 Accuracy
ABEX TCD-721R	99.1%
ABEX TCD-726	100%

The Mitsumi DW-7801TE gets an average score of 69.4 points out of 100 at our CD error correction tests. The drive can be a good reader with not heavily defected discs, as we saw in the ABEX-726 test, but cannot correct adequately severe errors coming from wide scratches.

On the other hand, retrieving of C2 information is not 100% accurate.

CDSpeed Advanced DAE quality test

- ABEX 721R

According to the Nero test with the ABEX TCD-721R, the quality score for Mitsumi DW-7801TE is 68.2 points, while the C2 accuracy is rather low (77.65%). The main reason for this result is the increased amount of compare errors, and the 957 sync errors that were reported.